For thousands of years, songbirds were regarded by mankind as messengers from the gods. Today, these creatures have woven inextricably into the fabric of our environment and are vanishing at an alarming rate. Under threat from climate change, pesticides and more, populations of hundreds of species have dipped dramatically. As scientists, activists and bird enthusiasts investigate this phenomenon, amazing secrets of the bird world come to light for the first time in the acclaimed and visually thrilling documentary The Messenger. Find out what's killing our songbirds, and what can be done about it. As in ancient times, songbirds may once again be carrying a message to humans - one that we ignore at our own peril.

Educational Reviews

"The Messenger is riveting, emotionally engaging, and visually extravagant from the first frame to the last. Up-to-the-minute facts on how birds communicate about environmental change are interwoven with gripping stories about the perils faced every year by these amazing world travelers. This is a must-see movie for anybody who values the natural world or wonders about its relationship to humans." - John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

"Without a doubt, The Messenger is the most outstanding film I've seen on birds. The fact that it is so strongly science-based, so emotive in its pitch, so beautiful in its design, it captivates me and everyone who has had a chance to see it." - Steven Price, President, Bird Studies Canada

"The Messenger is a powerful film, showcasing what could happen if we lose our songbirds, like a campaign in late 1950s China to eradicate the grain-eating Eurasian Tree Sparrow that, without birds to keep them in check, caused the locust population to skyrocket and decimate crops nationwide, contributing to a famine that killed tens of millions of people." - Owen Fitzsimmons, Coastal Bend Audubon Society

Critical Acclaim

"The arguments are persuasive, the message from the birds powerful, and the film a rich and satisfying call to action that is presented with some novel ideas for how to restore the ecological balance." - The New York Times Critics' Pick

"According to Su Rynard's provocative and beautiful documentary The Messenger, today's songbirds are delivering us a message of global proportion: Modernity is killing them, and if we don't do something soon, it might destroy us, too." - LA Weekly

"Traveling the world to spotlight challenges and solutions, filmmaker Su Rynard never loses sight of the [songbirds'] sheer beauty, or their emotional and symbolic pull as perceived intermediaries between the earthly and spiritual." - The Hollywood Reporter

Awards

BEST CONSERVATION PROGRAM - Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival

Top Ten Audience Award - Hot Docs

Special Jury Award - Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival